


Rain & Cupcakes

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: Dad!Jason AU [18]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 05:41:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6106779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If there was one thing Jason knew about this moment right now, it was that Damian definitely did not own that raincoat before Dick stole him for the afternoon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rain & Cupcakes

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt from Best Friend Adam from last summer, because he’s the best. You all claim I tortured you with fic this morning, and I felt a little bad so. Here, have fluff, toddlers and secret pining instead.

Jason was pacing.

It was stupid, he decided, giving in to Dick’s request. His logic _seemed_ sound at the time, but now that it was in practice, he was realizing the flaws.

Like, what if he was needed as Nightwing? What if he was needed as Officer Grayson? What if something happened with Damian? Dick had none of his information. Ignoring the fact that might hinder any doctor in helping his baby, but that might lead to some sort of child services being called, and maybe Damian being _taken away._

Jason would never forgive Dick, if that happened. Or if, God forbid, Damian ended up in _Bruce’s_ custody.

He can’t believe it. He can’t believe he agreed with Dick’s idea that he needed a break. That he needed an ‘afternoon to himself to clean the apartment, take a nap and then relax a little.’

That ‘all dads take breaks, Jason. And you deserve one too.’

Because that afternoon turned into evening. And that evening was quickly approaching nighttime.

Not to mention, the rain was getting worse, and it was only a matter of time before it turned into a thunderstorm. It would be Damian’s first thunderstorm without him, if he wasn’t home by then, and Jason can’t imagine it would go well.

He’d be just as scared as Damian might be, if he was honest. He hadn’t been _alone_ in ages, after all.

(He never really _wanted_ to be, either.)

He spun around, started another path through his apartment.

He was going to kill Dick.

Jason huffed another sigh, turning towards the kitchen, focusing on the fridge. A beer would calm him down, for sure.

And he’d just opened it. Just flopped back down onto the sofa, and took a swig, when he heard the telltale _thump!_ of the steel door to the building slamming shut. He waited then, for just a moment. Took another nervous drink of his alcohol as he listened to the echoing steps up the stairs.

_Please be them, please be them, please be-_

He heard a squeal of laughter, a squeal of _Damian’s_ laughter, and jumped from the cushions. Slammed his bottle down onto the coffee table so hard it spilled a little, and darted towards the door.

He slammed into the faded wood first, before dragging himself away, grabbing the doorknob in the process and yanking it open. Only to reveal one Dick Grayson – a sopping _wet_ Dick Grayson – with a Damian in his arms, and his barely free hand raised to knock.

“Oh…” He breathed, before his drenched face broke out into a smile. “Howdy, Jay.”

Jason glanced at Damian – who was practically _bathed_ in the color yellow, stuck in a rubber raincoat and matching wide-brimmed, floppy hat. It was practical for the storm, to say the least. It was also an outfit Jason knew his son did not own.

(At least not before today, apparently.)

His shoes were gone, but Jason could see them in the plastic bag wrapped around Dick’s other wrist, sitting on top of something else Jason couldn’t quite make out through the opaque plastic.

Damian waved, his little fingers spread out like a starfish, and he smiled, that unfilled, barely-enough-teeth-to-make-an-actual-smile grin. “Hi Baba.”

Jason flashed his own smile at him, took in the colorful splotches on his fingertips, before glaring back at Dick.

“Where the _hell_ have you been?”

Dick finally lowered his hand, frowned a little as he stepped forward. “Nice to see you too, buddy.”

“You kidnapped my kid for the afternoon, and came back _hours_ later than you said you would.” Jason shut the door harshly behind him, taking the hat Damian offered him, and shook the wetness from it as they walked towards the kitchen. “And after not answering your phone, you really expected me to still be sunshine and rainbows?”

“It died, that was my bad.” Dick said sheepishly, tilting his head away even as Damian ran his fingers over his face, tried to wipe away some of the water still running trails down his cheekbones. “And hey, not kidnapped, I was doing you a favor.”

“ _Favor?_ ” Jason repeated incredulously. He stepped up next to Dick, and hung Damian’s new hat on the edge of the kitchen chair. “ _That’s_ what you call it?”

“Parents need breaks. That’s a _fact_. And let’s be honest here, Jason, I’m worried about you.” Dick countered, sitting the bag on the table, removing Damian’s sneakers from it. They were covered in mud and water, and as Dick moved back to put them in the sink, Jason already knew what his next question was. “It’s not _my_ fault you won’t take advantage of the _perfectly wonderful, free childcare_ available to you at the manor.”

“You know why I won’t. And we’re going to _keep_ it that way, got it?” Jason snapped, grabbing Dick’s wrist as he reached for the other item in the bag. He leaned into Dick’s line of vision, even as Dick shook him off with annoyance and distracted Damian, who was whining for whatever was in the bag. “…What did you two even _do_ today, anyway?”

“Played in the park.” Dick explained simply. “Also, excuse me, Jason Peter Todd, but how have you not introduced this kid to _puddles_ yet?”

Well. That explained the mud.

“ _Also_ , also. Another my bad.” Dick pursed his lips. “Little bugger here might have found a new obsession of playing in the rain.” He glanced at Jason. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

Jason rolled his eyes, but conceded on the fact that: “Well. You got him the proper playing-in-the-rain attire from I don’t even _want_ to know where, so. I guess I can’t be _too_ mad about that.”

(And it was a problem, he noted, in the back of his mind. How often he found himself unable to stay mad at his predecessor.

But he could worry about it later.)

“Finally, a little credit! And we just ran by that department store, on Lyons? We were there for umbrellas, but the coat caught Damian’s eye, and, you know. What baby wants baby gets. But it was surprisingly cheap, for a brand name store.” Dick grinned, blinding and bright, as he looked down at Damian, still clutched comfortably in his arms. “But see, Dames? Maybe your papa still likes me after all.”

Damian frowned, cocked his head. “Papa?” He asked. He twisted to stare at Jason who smiled at him. “Is Baba.” Damian blinked, slapped his hand on Dick’s chest. “Didi. You Didi.”

“That’s right, that’s right.” Dick laughed, kissing Damian’s nose. “How could I have _ever_ forgotten?”

Jason couldn’t help but bite his tongue at the scene. Of Dick standing in his kitchen, holding Damian like he was his own. Being a dad, just like he was. Of being happy, and loving this child with his whole soul, just like he did.

His heart fluttered a little bit. Because it all just felt so _right_.

“What’s in the bag?” He found himself asking, forcing himself to tear his eyes away, just as Dick was about to kiss the toddler again.

“An apology, if I still need to give one.” Dick tried, though there was a nervousness behind his smile. “An incredibly funny story, if I don’t.”

“Still debating on that.” Jason hummed, tugging Damian’s new jacket off his shoulders, tossing it onto the same chair as the hat. “What’s the story?”

“Literally?” Dick asked, releasing Damian when Jason reached for him, focusing his hands now on pulling a small plastic box from the bag. Inside the box were four cupcakes, each a different color, with different shade of icing on top. “Damian was cute. That’s it. Bakery owner saw us playing in the rain and the puddles. Recognized us when came in after. Honestly, I just went in there to ask for a bag for Damian’s shoes. They’re a wreck, as you saw.” He stopped as he popped the lid, exposed the cupcakes completely, and Jason could now see a few flaws. A couple imperfections. Colors not matching, drooping icing, one looked a little smushed. “But instead of a bag, she handed me these.”

“...huh.” Jason whistled, taking Damian’s hand even as he reached for one.

“Mess-ups, from the day. Wrong colors, wrong flavors, whatever. All handmade, and Miss Emily – the baker – said she hated to waste food. Was just going to give them away, to the last customers of the night, or maybe her neighbors. But Damian was, and I quote, ‘just too precious.’” Dick said, lifting one of the treats. “…There were five to start with. Dames and I split one at the bakery. But I’m sure you can tell that already, by those chubby nubs.”

Jason grinned as he examined Damian’s fingers. No longer sticky from the icing, but he’d know the telltale sign of food dye anywhere.

“So?” Dick tried, examining the cupcake for a moment, glancing over at Jason.

“So…what?” Jason returned suspiciously, peeking down at Damian, as if the toddler knew.

“So…” Dick cupped the treat between steepled fingers, held it right up underneath his nose, turned and stepped forward into Jason’s space. Looked up at him with pretty blue eyes, that he batted dramatically. “Am I forgiven?”

Jason started at him blankly for a second, then pursed his lips. Swiveled his head to stare down at Damian.

“I don’t know…” Jason hummed, as Damian stared up at him. His eyes matched the beauty of Dick’s but were deeper somehow. More innocent. More wonderful.

( _He could be Dick’s son_ , Jason thought absently. Same eyes, same skin tone, same dark hair. People could think that. He wondered how many people today _did_. If that baker did, or anyone walking through the park.

And that hurt a little. Because Damian was his. Damian was _supposed_ to be his. Not Dick’s, not Bruce’s, not Talia’s, _his_.)

Damian stared up at him patiently, and he let his smirk soften a little. (Because Dick meant well, and _did_ well. Because the more people who adored the very ground Damian walked on, the better. Because he _knew_ that Damian liked him best.) Damian returned the grin, those few scattered teeth shimmering with spit. “What do you think, Dames? Think we should forgive Didi?”

“Mmmm.” Damian spun around to face Dick, eyeing him critically, eyeing the cupcake even more seriously. Dick chuckled and held it closer to the baby. Damian pressed his lips together and smiled triumphantly, reaching out to grab the glob of icing. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Jason repeated with a laugh, snatching Damian’s hand before he could make that impending mess. He kissed Damian’s fingers, looked up at Dick. “Well, you heard him.”

“I did.” Dick nodded, stepping even closer. Jason felt his chest tighten, breath sting, as those blue eyes bore into his. _And what he wouldn’t give to brush those wet bangs off his forehead._ Dick’s voice was soft, as he peeked up through his eyelashes _._ “And what about _you?_ ”

 _Hide it, Jason. Don’t do it, don’t do_ anything _, don’t even_ think _about it, don’t let him_ know _-_

“Well, I don’t know.” He hummed, kept Dick’s gaze, even as he blindly snatched the cupcake and spun away. Took a quick bite as he sauntered over to towards the sofa. Glanced back to find Dick staring at his lips, a barely hidden look of longing etched into his face. He instantly jerked his gaze up to Jason’s and…Jason didn’t even want to know what that meant. Surely not what he _thought_ , surely not what he _maybe sort of_ wanted. He smiled, regardless, put on the façade of confidence as he licked the icing off his lips. “Ask me again when I’m done eating.”

“Will do.” Dick’s voice sounded tight as Jason sat on the sofa, and Dick came tumbling after him. Flopped his arm behind Jason’s head and tucked both him and Damian into the crook of his side. Damian preened under the closeness, settled against Dick even as he reached for Jason’s cupcake. Jason relented immediately, shifting to pull a small chunk off, and dropping it into Damian’s waiting hands. Dick smiled, kissed Damian’s hair, glanced up at Jason, though was unseen as Jason focused on the child between them. Hid his happiness behind Damian’s head and repeated. “Definitely will do.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Other things for Nevolition’s Dad!Jason AU](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/tagged/dad%21jason+au)   
> 


End file.
